


Doesn't Mix

by Lunaraven0



Series: Multi-chapter Stuff [1]
Category: Markiplier Egos
Genre: Character Turned Into Vampire, Gen, Tags are hard to do without spoiling the plot so fuck them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-05-08 08:43:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 10,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14690528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunaraven0/pseuds/Lunaraven0
Summary: Dark isn't human.Vampires usually only turn humans into vampires.This isn't usually.





	1. Chapter 1

The last thing Dark wanted that day was to be attacked on the way home. People usually avoided him on the street, but not today.  
  
Today seemed to be different. Dark felt that something was off from the moment he got up that morning. Everything seemed fine around the building. No one had died recently, but that wasn't exactly bad.  
  
It wasn't until the evening that something happened.  
  
They jumped him when he wasn't paying attention, pushing him into a dark alleyway. He tried to shove them off, but he soon found himself on the ground, the person pinning his arms to his sides. He tried to use his aura, but it seemed to have little effect on them, which was worrying. He tried to get a good look at their face but it was too dark to see them.  
  
Dark felt them shove his head to the side to a very uncomfortable and painful angle, preventing him from seeing what they were doing. Something sharp punctured the skin of his neck, feeling warm and wet and very very wrong. He tried to squirm away, but a sleepy numb feeling spread over his body, slowing his movements.  
  
After a few moments, the person lifted up off of him. He tried to get up, but his limbs wouldn't move. He couldn't even open his eyes.  
  
Something wet dripped into his mouth. It was sour and metallic tasting.  
  
Dark didn't feel it when he drifted off into unconsciousness.  
  
~  
  
"Dark! Dark!!"  
  
A voice dug into Dark's head, stirring him awake. The light from the sunrise stung his eyes as he blinked. He sat up, trying to get his bearings.  
  
"Dark! Oh my god, are you okay?!?" A pair of hands was on him, lifting him up. "What happened? You didn't come home last night, we were worried sick!"  
  
Dark tried to look at them, but the light was too bright, so all he managed was some confused squinting in their general direction. "Wha...? 'S too bright..." Dark fell forward, the hands catching him before he hit the ground.  
  
"Crap dude, you're really not feeling well, are you? Must be from whatever bit your neck. C'mon, let's get you home." The hands then lifted him up, gently cradling him against a chest.  
  
~  
  
Bing ran home as fast as he could, sending a message to the others.  
  
_I found Dark. He isn't doing too well. Something bit him on the neck and he's three times paler than normal. On my way home now. Make sure Doc's ready._  
  
Dark started to squirm in Bing's arms and he had to stop running. "What? What's wrong?"  
  
"Nnngh...it's too bright....and hot...gah!" Dark started to claw at his chest. Bing removed Dark's jacket and shirt, hoping to calm him down. It seemed to work; a cool breeze started up and Dark sighed. Bing took his sunglasses off and placed them on Dark's head for extra measure.  
  
Bing continued running, reaching home within a few minutes. Dr. Iplier was outside. He ran up to them and started examining Dark right away.  
  
"Bite wound on the left side of the neck, high fever, extreme sensitivity to light..." he said, listing the symptoms to himself.  
"Is he going to be okay?"  
  
"We have to figure out what's wrong first. Let's get him to the clinic."  
  
~  
  
Dark curled into the cold sheets the moment they touched his skin. Wilford tried to get into the room to see him several times, but Dr. Iplier wouldn't allow it.  
  
Soon, Dark was in a proper hospital gown on the bed, with an IV drip in his arm, and a cold, wet towel on his forehead as he slept. The bite wound was bandaged, after much pondering of what could've done it.  
  
Two of the Googles stood guard at the door while the other two helped Dr. Iplier research for something that could help. Bing monitored Dark's vitals, not that Dark had many to monitor. Just his aura and the ringing that always followed him. Both were faint, just barely there.  
  
"Is he going to be ok Doc?" Bing asked.  
  
Dr. Iplier sighed. "I don't know. We just have to wait."


	2. Chapter 2

Dark woke up hours later. The first thing he registered was the white lights above him, too bright. He tried to turn away, scrunching his eyes closed and burying his face in the pillow as best as he could.

Something tugged at his arm. He tried to see what it was, but the light burned his eyes and he couldn't see it.  
  
_He couldn't see it._  
  
He started to panic, thrashing about. Closing his eyes didn't work; the light just filtered through his eyelids, making it hurt to exist. He cried out when someone pinned his arms to his sides. "AaAAa! Make it _stop_!"  
  
"Dark! Calm down!"  
  
_"It hurts! I can't see!_ "  
  
"Dark, can you tell me what hurts?"  
  
"Th-the light, my eyes, ithurts _Icantsee!_ " he whined, the pain too much for him.  
  
Suddenly, the light stopped. The pain faded slowly, and Dark relaxed, panting. He could feel tears on his cheeks, cold against his hot skin. He carefully opened his eyes.  
  
The lights above him were off. His vision was blurry, but he could see people standing around his bed. Bing, Dr. Iplier, Oliver, Red; they were all looking at him. There was an IV in his arm.  
  
"You okay now?" Dr. Iplier asked.  
  
Dark tried to focus on him. "It doesn't hurt anymore...but everything's blurry, and my head hurts." He wiped away the tears with his free arm. Everything ached.  
  
"You hungry or anything?"  
  
Bing. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses.  
  
"...water would be good..." Dark tried to sit up but stopped when his head throbbed painfully. Oliver disappeared from his view and reappeared a minute later. The glass of water was brought to Dark's lips and he drank greedily. The cool water made him feel slightly better.  
  
"Slow down! You don't want to drink too much at once," Dr. Iplier said. The glass was moved, and Dark made an annoyed noise. "Don't take that tone with me. You're sick, bossing me around isn't allowed. Doctor's orders."  
  
The door burst open suddenly. Wilford attempted to tackle Dark in a hug, but the Googles stopped him. "Dark! You're awake!!" He eventually crouched next to Dark, standing on his knees, resting his head on the bed. He was grinning. "How ya feeling? These guys aren't being too mean to ya?"  
  
"I'm fine Wil."  
  
"Mm'kay. I wanted to make sure. You looked like shit when Bing brought you in." His smile faded a little. "You looked...almost dead. You still kinda do." He forced a laugh. "Do you even remember what happened?"  
  
Dark frowned. "Someone...attacked me on the way home. It was too dark out to see their face. They pinned me down to the ground and...." He paused, uncertain. "I think they shoved my head over to the side, but....everything's fuzzy after that."  
  
Wilford pouted a little. "You poor thing."  
  
"I'm not that pitiful," Dark protested. He was now smiling. He felt a little better.  
  
~  
  
_Oh no oh no oh no._  
  
The man was gone. They had made sure he was hidden from the road in the alleyway when they left. He should have been there. He was safe there. They were supposed to help him turn. They had chosen him as their second turning, and _now he was gone._  
  
They couldn't even feel which direction he was in. In place of the normal pull was a disorienting, numb, staticky feeling. It felt outright wrong.  
  
_Is it because he isn't human? Is he even going to survive being turned? Could non-humans even be turned?_  
  
They felt tears come to their eyes at the thought. _No. No, I can't lose another one._  
  
They would just have to wait for something to happen. They had no choice.


	3. Chapter 3

_His fever's getting worse._  
  
Dr. Iplier sighed, removing the warm rag from Dark's forehead and replacing it with a cold one. Dark made a noise of discontent. "Ow...why does everything have to hurt so much?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Even my mouth hurts. And my teeth."  
  
Dr. Iplier frowned. "Your teeth?"  
  
"Yeah. It's weird."  
  
_That is weird. A normal infection wouldn't do that._ He pushed the thought away for later. "Do you want something to numb the pain a little?"  
  
Dark nodded. Dr. Iplier gave him some painkillers, and he fell asleep within minutes.  
  
~  
  
They found that the static got more intense when they moved west. So, naturally, they followed it.  
  
What else were they supposed to do? This was the only way they could track him. It didn't matter that it made them dizzy to the point of falling over. They needed to find him.  
  
They wouldn't stop until they did.  
  
~  
  
The perimeter alarm went off at about 11 pm, signaling Google Red to investigate. When he got outside, he found someone leaning against the wall, looking into the clinic window. Red's night vision wasn't advanced enough to see them very well, so he moved closer. When they noticed him, they hissed, baring their teeth and backing up.  
  
Red stopped moving and began cataloging every detail of what they looked like in case they ran.  
  
_• Dark skin_  
 _• Black hoodie_  
 _• Dark blue skinny jeans_  
 _• Yellow high top sneakers_  
 _• Unnaturally glowing green eyes_  
  
The eyes weren't human. Red needed to be careful. He tried a question. "What are you doing here?"  
  
They didn't answer, just stared, their teeth still visible.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
Again, no answer.  
  
He moved closer-  
  
They jumped on him, faster than any human ever could. Fortunately, Red wasn't human, so he managed to stop them from shredding his face off. Unfortunatley, that meant that they shredded his arm instead, rendering that hand completely useless.   
  
He shoved them off, but they attacked him again, this time managing to get his face. When his head hit the ground, something shorted out and his vision went dark.  
  
He pinged a message to the others just before the person slammed his head into the ground again and he shut down.  
  
~  
  
They backed away from the android's now still body. _Fuckfuckfuck_. They never wanted to hurt anyone, but they had a feeling it wouldn't've left.  
  
They looked in the window again. Nothing had changed. The lights were still off. He was still in the hospital bed, sound asleep. No one else was in the room.  
  
They opened the window as quietly as they could and climbed inside. It was nearly silent, save for a faint ringing. They went over to his bed, removed the IV, and gathered him up in their arms, wrapping him in the topsheet. He curled up against them instinctively. His skin was way too warm, burning up.  
  
Footsteps were coming down the hall. They hurried out the window as fast as they could while carrying him. "HEY! STOP!" a voice behind them called out. They didn't look back.  



	4. Chapter 4

"We have to go after them!"  
  
"Wilford, no."  
  
"But-"  
  
"What if we-"  
  
"How about-"  
  
"The fuck-"  
  
The meeting room was chaos. Everyone was trying to talk over each other and absolutely nothing productive was getting done. Only a few people were actually talking about rescuing Dark, and everyone else was shushing each other.  
  
The Host walked out; it was too much. Too much noise, too much arguing, he couldn't narrate all of it. Trying gave him a headache. Dr. Iplier followed him.  
  
"Do you think Dark will be ok?" The Host asked.  
  
"Hopefully. The Googles are trying to do a facial recognition thing with what Red saw, but so far there's nothing."  
  
"Hmmn."  
  
~  
  
They reached home without a problem, making it inside before dawn. They left him in the darkest room in the house, making sure he was comfortable in the bed. He curled up into a ball, making tiny noises of content in his sleep.  
  
It was fucking adorable.  
  
They watched him for a moment. He looked so at peace, not caring about anything.   
  
They wished that didn't have to change.  
  
~  
  
When Dark woke up, everything felt like shit. His headache was pounding in his head, making it impossible to think. The broken bones in his back felt like millions of needles stabbing him, hitting every nerve. He shifted on the bed, but that just made it worse.  
  
He was dimly aware of someone talking, an unfamiliar voice trying to get his attention, but it was muffled, and sounded far away. The fact that the voice was unfamiliar would've worried him if he could form a coherent thought. Right then, he didn't care. He just wanted the pain to end.  
  
Someone lifted him up into a sitting position, probably the voice from a minute ago. He leaned against them, unable to do much else. The lip of a cup was pressed against his mouth, tilted up so he could drink. He did so eagerly, the tasty cold stuff inside soothing his headache a little. He whined when it was soon gone.  
  
"Hey, hey, you're alright, shhh, shhh." The voice was whispering in his ear now, less muffled than before. "Let's get you back to sleep now, shhh, you're ok." He felt himself being laid back down and covered in blankets. He curled up under them as best as he could without it hurting too much, and fell into a sleepy haze.  
  
~  
  
The people he was with had been starving him and probably didn't even know it.  
  
New vamps needed blood to survive, and he looked like he hadn't had any in days. At least those people were trying to help him. The IV showed that.  
  
They gently moved his hair out of his eyes, noting the layer of sweat that had formed on his forehead. They hoped he would be alright.


	5. Chapter 5

When the Googles' facial recognition came up empty, Wilford nearly shot Bim in the head. It missed by about a centimeter.  
  
"Wilford! What the hell!?"  
  
Wilford didn't answer. He sat down in his chair, tossing his gun aside, and buried his head in arms. Everyone in the room was watching him; the meeting had been shocked into silence by his shot.  
  
"Wilford? You ok?"  
  
Wilford's breathing became shaky as he started to cry. Bim motioned for everyone else to leave, and they all scooted out. Bim sat next to him at the table and placed a hand on one of his arms. Wilford moved into the touch, grabbing Bim's forearm and rubbing the fabric of the suit. Wilford's other arm still covered his head as he sobbed.   
  
Bim didn't say anything. He just stayed and let Wilford pick at his suit.  
  
Dark was better at this. He was the only one who could calm Wilford when he completely broke.  
  
The only thing Bim knew to do was just be there.  
  
Eventually, Wilford dragged Bim into a tear-filled bearhug that made it hard to breathe, but Bim didn't care.  
  
"You're alright Wilford; we'll find Dark and he'll be alright too," he said quietly.  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Promise."  
  
~  
  
_CRASH_!  
  
Dark jerked out of his dream at the sudden loud noise, sitting bolt upright with a gasp. He then regretted doing that as his head began to throb painfully, blinding him. He fell back onto the bed and curled into a ball, waiting for it to pass. He heard footsteps and then the door opening. A cold hand gently rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
It probably belonged to the voice from...yesterday?  
  
How long had it been?  
  
Eventually, the pain faded and he could see again. The room was dark and mostly bare, save for the bed he was on and a few blurry shapes around the room. He turned to look at the person with him, the one who had brought him here.  
  
They were kneeling next to the bed. The first thing he noticed about them was their eyes. They were neon green and glowing faintly. Literally glowing. They had dark skin that sort of blended in with the shadows of the room, although that might've been mostly the fault of everything being so blurry that he couldn't tell what anything was.  
  
"Are you alright?" Their voice was warm and deep.  
  
He didn't respond, just watched them.  
  
"I'm not going to hurt you. Trust me, if I wanted to, it would've happened already."  
  
They had a point. "Who are you?" he asked.  
  
"My name's Eaden, but you can call me Eade. Do you have a name?"  
  
"...Dark."  
  
"Are you feeling alright, Dark?"  
  
"I'm fine. Why did you kidnap me?"  
  
Eade looked down. "Straight to the point huh?" They sighed. "Would you believe me if I said I was a vampire?"  
  
"Only if you prove it."  
  
"Uh...my teeth are really pointy?" They pointed to their mouth. "See?"  
  
He squinted. "I can barely see you. You sort of..." he paused, trying to find the right word. "...blend in. Was that offensive? I'm sorry."  
  
"Nah, that's just a fact. I blend in with the shadows so well that you can't even see me with night vision goggles!" They paused. "Anyway, back to my original point." They lifted his hand and let him feel their teeth. They were, indeed, really pointy. Even the ones in the front that weren't supposed to be pointy.  
  
"So, you're a vampire, what does that have to do with me?"  
  
"I turned you."  
  
Oh. So that's why I feel like shit. "Why?"  
  
"I dunno, it's weird instinct thing that vamps get like...every 20 years or so? No idea why. The process seems to be taking longer with you though..."  
  
"Cause I'm not human." _Great. Not only will this hurt, it's going to take its sweet time with messing with me._  
  
"I didn't know that when I first saw you, so you're allowed to blame this on me."  
  
Dark sighed. "How long does it usually take?"  
  
"A few hours. Your new teeth haven't even come in yet so it's still the beginning stages.”  
  
"Yay. How fun."  
  
"Hey, you'll be fine. I'll help you!"  
  
"I don't even know if i can trust you 100%."  
  
Eade laughed. "That's understandable."  
  
"It's not like I can leave anyway. I'd probably pass out before I reached the door." A headache was starting to form behind Dark's eyes. He rubbed at them. "Ow..."  
  
"Headache?" Eade pressed a hand to his forehead. "You've got a fever too...I think I have some medicine in the kitchen. Wait here, I'll be back." They disappeared from his view. He heard the door open and swing slightly closed.  
He looked up at the ceiling, working out his situation in his head.  
  
_• Unknown location_  
 _• Captor (Eaden) seems to not be hostile._  
 _• Is probably a vampire_  
 _• Says they turned me_  
 _• Makes sense cause I feel like shit_  
 _• Seems to want to help_  
  
Dark would have to stay with them, at least until he was well enough to get home, or the Googles tracked him down.  
  
~  
  
Eade returned after a few minutes. Dark sat up as they handed him a cup of a cold liquid and a pill.  
  
"I promise that's not drugs-well, technically it _is_ a drug, but it's not _bad_ drugs." They looked at him. "Did that make sense?"  
  
"It's fine." He examined the cup. "Is this blood?" It smelled _amazing_.  
  
"Yes. It'll help, I promise."  
  
"....Well ok then." It probably wouldn't kill him, even if it was poison. He took the pill quickly.  
  
The liquid was definitely blood. The thicker feel and slightly metallic taste tipped him off, and it tasted _good_. Before he knew it, he had downed the entire cup.  
  
His head felt better already.  
  
~  



	6. Chapter 6

It had only been a day since Dark had been taken and everything had already started to fall apart.  
  
The kitchen was on fire.  
  
Wilford had destroyed the TV.  
  
The Jims got into a hidden candy stash and were now bouncing off the walls.  
  
Oh, and Anti had shown up and trashed the meeting room.  
  
Dr. Iplier had a headache from it all. "This is all my fault. I should have stayed in the clinic with him."  
  
"It's not your fault. You couldn't have known," The Host reassured him. Dr. Iplier reached for another cup of coffee, but the Host stopped him. "No more coffee. You need rest, you haven't slept at all. Come on." The Host proceeded to drag Dr. Iplier to his room and make him lay down on the bed. "Stay here and take a nap. You'll feel better."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Ah! No buts, except yours, asleep on the bed."  
  
"...Fine."  
  
~  
  
Dark was asleep. Eade watched his chest rise and fall with his breathing. They didn't sleep much and didn't have anything else they needed to do, so they stayed and studied him.  
  
He had...an outline of sorts, a very thin red and blue 3d effect. They hadn't noticed it before, but it was clearly visible now. It was...odd. Eade hoped that seeing it meant he was getting better.  
  
Dark shifted in his sleep, turning over so he was facing Eade. He had part of the blanket wedged in his mouth, and his hair was sticking up in about 10 different directions.  
  
It was goddamn adorable.  
  
~  
  
When Dark woke up, he was hungry. This was an odd feeling for him since he was technically dead and never needed to eat. The only reason he did was to keep up appearances around the others. Also, waffles were delicious.  
  
He sat up and looked around. The room was still dark as fuck, and he still couldn't see anything.  
  
His stomach growled. He looked down at it, frowning. _Well. That's new. Yay._  
  
"Oh, you're awake." Dark nearly fell off the bed before he remembered whose voice it was.  
  
"Hi, Eade." They were next to the bed again. He could see their eyes.  
  
"You're probably hungry, right?"  
  
Dark's stomach growled again, and he sighed. "Yeah." It ached, and he hated it.  
  
"C'mon." He felt a hand on his, gently pulling him up. He stood shakily, leaning on Eade. "You're ok, that's it." Eade led him out of the room to the kitchen, sitting him down in a chair.  
  
There were lights in this part of the house, so he could actually see now. At least it didn't hurt. He laid his head down on the table. "Ugh."  
  
"You feeling any better?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"...wish I could help more." Eade set a bottle down next to Dark's head, then sat down next to him. "Soo, what do you wanna talk about?"  
  
"I dunno. Why do you have just bottles of blood in your fridge?"  
  
"Uh, easy access?" They shrugged. "I dunno, it just feels...normal."  
  
"Hmm."  
  
The two of them sat in silence for a bit. The blood made Dark feel only marginally better.  
  
Then he asked, "Isn't it, like, a thing where blood tastes better from...the 'source', or something?"  
  
"Yeah, but I never really liked it."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"It just...felt wrong."  
  
"Hm."  
  
~  
  
They talked for a while. It was mostly Dark asking questions about vampire stuff. He was compiling a list in his head, knowing some of it might be useful later.  
  
• Eade doesn't know many vamps.  
• Eade gets their blood fresh from a friend.  
• Cockroaches are stuck-up bastards.  
• Twilight is offensive because some vamps actually are sparkly, and it's been that way forever, and then Twilight showed up and fetishized it, ruining everything, but it's not like they can tell any   
• Eade is really mad about it, mostly because they're a sparkly one.  
• They think that sparkly vampires evolved because humans like shiny things, so humans wouldn't immediately kill them, like a kind of defense mechanism. Not entirely sure tho.  
• Vamps don't exactly have immortality, just super regeneration, the only way to stop it is by cutting off their head.  
  
Eade asked questions too.  
  
"What's it like, in the building where you live? It looked like there were a lot of people there."  
  
"Yeah, I know. I think I'm the only reason the place hasn't burned down."  
  
"Do you think they're doing alright without you?"  
  
"Hopefully they won't have killed each other by the time I can get back."  
  
"That bad, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, there's always a least one hole in the wall of some kind."  
  
"Geez."  
  
"Eh, that's just life."  
  
~


	7. Chapter 7

Wilford had eaten three tubs of ice cream in two hours and everyone else was worried about him. Bing tried to talk to him about his show, and he nearly got his head blown off.  
  
Bim knocked on Wilford's door. "Wilford? You in there?"  
  
"Fuck off."  
  
Bim sighed. "You can't stay in your room all day, it's not good for you. You gotta come out sometime."  
  
"Not till Dark comes back."  
  
"Sitting in your room forever isn't going to make him come back faster."  
  
Wilford didn't answer.  
  
~  
  
Dark didn't like getting new teeth. It fucking hurt. It felt like someone was forcing icepicks out of his skull very very slowly.  
  
At first, he thought the pain was just a really bad headache. Then he tasted his sour blood in his mouth and one of his teeth fell out. He spat it out into his hand and stared. Then the icepick feeling started.  
  
To make a long and very graphic story short, it took two hours for all of Dark's new teeth to come in, and he hated every last minute of it. When it was over, he was shaking, exhausted. His own black blood had stained the front of his shirt, but he didn't care. Eade cleaned him up, helping him to the couch.  
  
"Couldn't I just go back to bed?" It felt weird to talk now.  
  
"You'll feel worse if you stay in bed all day, trust me."  
  
"Ugh." Dark laid his head on the armrest as best he could, stretching out and trying to get comfortable. Everything had started to ache again.  
  
"Here." Eade handed him a pillow, helping him get more comfortable.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
He fell asleep within seconds.  
  
~  
  
Eade watched Dark drift off. As he did, his 3D outline thing seemed to finally calm down from the spiky panicked state it had gone into when his teeth were coming in. They sighed, letting all tension leave their shoulders.  
  
_Thank god._  
  
The teeth thing was the most dangerous part of turning. They'd seen newborns die because of the pain alone. He was lucky. Dark should be fine from there on out. The rest of the process was mostly internal things that gave vamps superhuman type stuff.  
  
A knock at the door startled Eade out of their tired stupor. _Please just be Dave, please just be Dave._  
  
It was just Dave. He'd brought the extra blood they'd asked for, finally.  
  
"You okay?" He asked. "You seem tired."  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"Did something happen with your new-blood? Is he alright?"  
  
"He's fine. His new teeth finally came in, thank fuck."  
  
"Oh! That's great!"  
  
"Took two fucking hours."  
  
"Geez."  
  
After a moment of awkward silence, Eade helped Dave bring the case to the kitchen, restocking the fridge. "You want to stay for a bit?"  
  
"Sure. You're the only delivery I've got today, and I've got nothing else to do, so."  
  
~  
  
_"Wil, move!"_  
  
_Wilford did not move, in fact, he made a point to lay down on the desk, right on the paperwork. "Now why should I do that Darky?"_  
  
_"Wil!" Dark tried to shove Wilford off the desk. "Get off!" It didn't work._  
  
_"No. You've been working for hours, you need a break."_  
  
_"What I need is to finish these papers, now GET OFF!"_  
  
_Wilford still didn't budge, grinning. "You're cute when you're mad. Did you know that?"_  
  
_"Fuck you."_  
  
_"See? Adorable!"_  
  
_Dark groaned, holding his head in his hands. "Goddammit, Wil." He was tired._  
  
_"At least get something to eat. If you do that, I'll leave you alone."_  
  
_"Wil, I don't-"_  
  
_"You'll feel better, I promise."_  
  
_Dark sighed. "Fine." He stood, moving to the door. As he left, everything suddenly turned white, and-_  
  
He was awake again, on Eade's couch. He wasn't home. Wilford wasn't bugging him.  
  
Wilford. Fuck. He's probably going nuts, not knowing. He always gets anxious when he doesn't know where I am. Probably because of leftover memories.  
  
Dark sat up. His mouth was still sore, and he had a headache again. He sighed and looked around.  
  
He could see Eade in the kitchen, talking to someone he didn't recognize. Eade didn't seem to be in any sort of danger or anything, so the person could probably be trusted.  
  
Probably.  
  
He laid back down, staring up at the ceiling. _What the fuck is my life? Just, what? Cause I don't quite know anymore._  
  
"Oh! You're awake!" Eade's voice interrupted his thoughts. "I want to introduce you to my friend! This is Dave."  
  
Dave waved. "Hi. I'm the local blood delivery guy."  
  
Dark waved back. "Hey."  
  
"Why are you 3D?" Eade looked at Dave, appalled, and he shrugged. "What? I'm just asking."  
  
"It's okay, Eade," Dark reassured. "I don't mind."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really."  
  
They looked at him for a moment, back at Dave, then at him again. "Okay then."  
  
"The '3D' thing is my aura. It doesn't do much, and I've had it forever." That was a lie. It did a lot of things. It wasn't like he could tell them everything.  
  
"Is it, like, always there?"  
  
"Yeah. I can hide it though, which helps when I'm out in public."  
  
Dave nodded. "Huh. Cool."


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey, Eade?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"When might I be able to go home?"  
  
"I was wondering when you were going to ask that." Eade sighed. "I think it might be best for you to stay here until you're fully changed. For your...protection."  
  
"Why? Is there something or someone that would want to hurt me when I leave?"  
  
"Sadly, yes. Some older vamps, like really old, have been known to...to kidnap new-bloods and...do some really horrible things to them."  
  
Eade looked down at their feet. "You okay?" Dark asked.  
  
"No." They rubbed their eyes, staring at the floor. Dark shifted where he was sitting, not knowing what to do.  
  
Dave noticed Eade's discomfort and walked over, kneeling in front of Eade to look them in the eyes. "Hey, hey, deep breaths, okay? Go to the kitchen and just breathe, calm yourself down, and I'll explain it to him. You can come back when you feel better. Alright?"  
  
Eade nodded and left for the kitchen. Dave took their place next to Dark. "Are they going to be okay?"  
  
"Yeah. They just need some space for a bit."  
  
"Ok then. So, what's the deal with the kidnappings?"  
  
"It started in the late 1960s. All over the world, people's new-bloods would just disappear off the face of the earth. Then, about a month later, someone would find them dead. They would always be horribly mutilated, with their head chopped off and placed next to the body."  
  
"Oh, God. _Why_?" Dark felt nauseous just thinking about it.  
  
"No one knows, and no one's been able to stop it either. They're all rich douchebags with money to spare so anyone who gets in their way usually ends up the same."  
  
"That's horrible. Did Eade lose someone like that?"  
  
"Their first new-blood, a young lady named Emily. I wasn't around back then to meet her, but Eade tells me that she was the nicest person you could ever know."  
  
"Geez."  
  
The two of them sat in awkward silence for a minute. Eade came back in and sat next to Dave. "You feel better?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah. I'm good."  
  
"Good." Dave checked the time. "I should probably get home. I have stuff to do early tomorrow."  
  
"Alright then. Stay safe, Dave!"  
  
"Of course!" Dave left, leaving Dark and Eade alone.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?" Dark asked.  
  
"Yeah. Everything happened a long time ago, and I know what happened wasn't my fault, but...it still hurts to think about sometimes."  
  
"I get it. You don't want it to happen again. Fortunately, I think I know of a way to get me home safely."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"I could call my security and get them to come here and pick me up with a car. There's extra security in my building."  
  
"The android guys? You sure? I got in pretty easily and I wasn't even trying that hard."  
  
"They weren't expecting you. By now, they'll have re-calibrated everything for something like you."  
"Damn. Its only been like, a week? Maybe?"  
  
"They tend to work fast."  
  
Eade furrowed their brow, thinking. "You know what? Let me sleep on it. It's been a long day, and I'll probably have a better mindset for deciding in the morning."  
  
"That's fine. I was kinda tired anyway."  
  
~  
  
_The next day_  
  
The phone rang at about 9 AM. Oliver was the one to answer it. The minute he heard Dark's voice, he messaged the others to trace the call.  
  
"Dark!! You're alive!!"  
  
"Of course I am. Listen, I need you to do me a favor. You and one of your brothers come to my location in one of the armored cars."  
  
"Why? Is something wrong? Are you under attack?"  
  
"No! No, everything's fine. I promise, I'll explain the situation when you get here."  
  
"Why can't you tell me over the phone?"  
  
"Because of you're not going to believe me without proof."


	9. Chapter 9

Eade watched the two android guys and one human walk to their door. One android was wearing a yellow shirt, the other a green one, and the human looked like a stereotypical doctor, complete with a face mirror. Dark moved to open the door, and when he did, he was practically assaulted by the doctor guy.  
  
"Dark! Oh my god are you okay? How's your head, do you still have a fever? Has the light sensitivity gone down any? Has your neck been alright? Let me see." He proceeded to drag Dark back to the couch to examine him, completely ignoring Eade.  
  
"Doctor, I'm fine, I swear!"  
  
"I'll be the judge of that mister! Wait holy crap what happened to your teeth?! They weren't pointy before!" He glared at Eade. "Did you do this?"  
  
"Uh, technically no?"  
  
Doctor guy wasn't listening. Eade shrugged and sidled over to Yellow Shirt. "I'm sorry for beating up your red guy," they whispered.  
  
"It's alright. Red's been repaired, he's fine," Yellow Shirt whispered back. "I'm Oliver, by the way. The guy fussing with Dark is Dr. Iplier, and this is Green." Green waved.  
  
"Huh. I'm Eade."  
  
Dark finally managed to get out of Dr. Iplier's clutches and stood next to Eade. His friends were watching him.  
  
It was odd to watch how he seemed to just...command their attention, just by standing there.  
  
"Alright, you might want to sit down for this." He glanced at Eade. "It's a long story.  
  
~  
  
"So, to recap: you're now a vampire, Eade kidnapped you cause they wanted to help you, and really old vampires are dicks." Oliver counted off the points on his fingers.  
  
Dark nodded. "Exactly. Now, onto our next issue: Wilford."  
  
"Who's that?" Eade asked.  
  
"Wilford is...my friend. I've known him since...forever, I guess. He cares about me, and tends to get...emotional when I'm gone and he doesn't know if I'm okay."  
  
"Well, he's been hiding in his room for the past week, so he won't see us immediately," Green said.  
  
"Good. I should probably talk to him before he meets you, Eade. I don't know how he'd react to knowing you took me."  
  
Eade nodded. "Sounds reasonable."  
  
Dr. Iplier put a hand on Dark's shoulder. "You're sure you're okay?"  
  
"Yes, Doctor."  
  
"Hmm. You're getting a full checkup when we get back."  
  
Dark sighed. "Fine."  
  
~  
  
The Host was waiting for them when they got back. "Hello, Eade."  
  
"How do you know my name?"  
  
The Host just smiled and said, "Magic," with a flourish of his hands.  
  
"He's psychic," Dr. Iplier said as he walked past with Dark.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Eade laughed and followed them, Green tagging along. Oliver left, probably to do some important stuff.  
  
The clinic was a bit of a mess. Green immediately started cleaning up, filing away paperwork and tidying supplies, while Dr. Iplier sat Dark on the examination table.  
  
"You feeling okay?" Eade asked Dark.  
  
"I feel fine. Dr. Iplier just wants to do a checkup."  
  
"It's my job to keep you alive and I'm gonna do it goddammit."  
  
Eade giggled. "Okay then. If you need any blood, I've got some in my bag."  
The doctor stuck a thermometer in Dark's ear. "I wish I could say that's the weirdest sentence I've ever heard, but I've heard weirder, so, eh."  
  
~  
  
After the doctor gave Dark a mostly clean bill of health, he went to his office, Eade following behind. Everything was just as he left it, except for a small stack of paperwork someone left on his desk.  
  
"Why the fuck did the Jims set the kitchen on fire? Why??"  
  
"Who are the Jims?"  
  
"They're reporters. There's usually four of them crawling around at any one time. They like to report nearly everything new that happens, so you'll see them at some point. Don't worry about it though, they're harmless."  
  
"Huh." Eade sat in a nearby chair. "Why's there so many people here? And why do you look the same?"  
  
Dark frowned. "It's hard to explain; w-” He was cut off by the door bursting open.  
  
It was Wilford. He looked like an absolute mess. "Dark?!" Before Dark could respond, he lept over the desk and tackled Dark in a hug, disappearing with him in a puff of pink smoke.  
  
Eade stared at the spot where the two had vanished. "...well okay then." They stood up. "I'm just gonna...go find Oliver and question what the fuck just happened. Yeah."


	10. Chapter 10

They landed on the roof, Wilford on top of Dark.  
  
"Wilford, what the-"  
  
"You're okay," Wilford repeated that phrase over and over again, squeezing Dark in a bear hug while crying. "I thought...I thought you were..."  
  
Dark wiggled one of his arms free of Wilford's grasp and very gently placed it on his head. "I'm okay Wil. See?"  
  
Wilford grabbed Dark's hand and pressed it to his cheek. It was wet with tears. "You're warmer than usual."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Do you feel better, from the bite thing?"  
  
"Much better."  
  
Wilford squeezed Dark's hand, taking a deep shuddering breath. "I missed you."  
  
"I can tell. Could you please stop crushing my ribcage?"  
  
"Oh! Sorry." He let go and sat up. Dark did the same, cracking his neck as he did. It didn't make as much noise as it normally did, nor did it hurt.  
  
_That's odd_.  
  
"Are you okay Wilford?"  
  
"Better now that you're back." Wilford leaned on Dark's shoulder. "Did they hurt you?"  
  
"No. They were actually just trying to help." Dark explained the entire situation, answering every single question Wilford had, many of which were kind of silly, but Dark answered them anyway.  
  
"What do you think my blood would taste like?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I dunno. Just in case you ever need it or something."  
  
"Oh. Pure sugar probably. You eat candy every goddamn day. You're basically made of the stuff by now."  
  
Wilford laughed. "Well of course!"  
  
"May we go back inside now? You need to meet Eade."  
  
~  
  
Eade was surrounded.  
  
"This is Jim, reporting live with my brother Jim! We have managed to locate the new Stranger Jim that arrived not two hours ago!"  
  
The camera guy poked Eade's nose, not saying a word. "Uhhh, hi? You're the Jims, I'm guessing."  
  
"They speak!! Tell us, Stranger, why are you here?!"  
  
"Dark brought me."  
  
The one with the mic gasped dramatically. "Jim, they're in cahoots with the demon!!"  
  
Eade laughed. "Cahoots?!"  
  
"Cahoooooooots _AHHHTHEDEMONJIMRUN_!!"  
  
The two quickly scuttled away as Dark walked around the corner. The guy that had teleported him away was following him.  
  
"Eade! There you are. The Jims give you any trouble?"  
  
"No. They're kinda cute actually. Like kids." They looked at the guy following him. "You're Wilford, right?"  
  
"Yeah." He looked tired. "Dark explained what happened. You're a vampire, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why him? Why'd you have to turn him, out of everyone else?"  
  
"I...didn't have much of a choice, really. My, uh, turning-cycle-thingy was almost over, and I hadn't turned anyone yet, and he was the only one around, and when vamps don't turn anyone during their cycle, weird biology shit happens and they can get really really horrible migraines." Eade rubbed the back of their neck. "I really didn't want to know what that would feel like."  
  
"That sounds...crappy," said Wilford.  
  
"That's an understatement," Dark muttered.  
  
Eade sighed. "Yeah. Vampire biology's fuckin' weird."


	11. Chapter 11

A meeting was eventually called. It went about as well as meetings normally did. Lots of arguing, shouting, and general chaos. The only differences were Eade being there, and Wilford hugging Dark's leg.  
  
Like, seriously. He wouldn't let go.  
  
Everything was explained, and, eventually, a conclusion was reached.  
  
Eade would stay for as long as they wanted, making sure Dark would be okay. Dave would bring blood, in exchange for donuts, cookies, or money. Any of those three would work.  
  
"Since when are donuts an acceptable form of payment?" Oliver asked.  
  
"Since Dave loves donuts."  
  
"Fair point."  
  
~  
  
A couple of days passed. Nothing much happened. Everyone went about their lives. Eade talked to as many people in the building as they could find.  
  
There was a lot.  
  
Dave officially came over on the third day. The first thing he did was bug the absolute fuck out of the Googles.  
  
"What'cha doin’?"  
  
"Upgrading the security system," Red said dryly.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"So gremlins like you dont put their grubby hands all over everything and mess it up."  
  
"That's fair. I am very gremlin-like." He gestured to his body, "I mean, look at me."  
  
Red did not look. Dave shrugged.  
  
"Dave, leave Red alone," Eade said.  
  
"I'm not doing anything!"  
  
"You're standing on his shoulders."  
  
"So?"  
  
Eade sighed, walked over to him and lifted Dave off of Red. "It's rude."  
  
Dave pouted."Awww. Goddammit."  
  
"Yeah, whatever."  
  
Something on the computer began pinging. "There's a person at the door," Red murmured.  
  
Eade looked at the camera. "Wait...that's..." They ran out of the room. Dave followed closely behind them.  
  
Oliver was moving to the door when they reached it. Eade darted around him, bursting through the door and attacking the person with a big hug. Dave just jumped over Oliver and hugged the person as well.  
  
~  
  
Dark got a message from Oliver.  
  
_~Someone's at the door. Eade and Dave seem to know them. Same rules, don't attack?_  
  
_-Yes. I'll be down in a moment._  
  
Dark left his office and walked downstairs. There, he found Eade and Dave happily chattering to someone wearing a long dark purple coat. The someone looked up at him and smiled.  
  
They looked...tired, like they had sprinted the whole way there.  
  
~  
  
He looked odd. This wasn't a bad thing, but something about him felt...off. Like he wasn't meant to exist.  
  
She didn't care. He clearly belonged to Eade, and that was what mattered. The beginnings of sparkles were swirled around his cheeks, trailing down his neck, just like Eade's. Eade brightened when they saw him, running over and walking him to the hug fest. "Ren, this is Dark, my new-blood."  
  
"Dark?" She smiled. "Did you pick that out yourself?"  
  
He nodded. "Yes, actually. A really long time ago. Nothing else...fit, really."  
  
"I know the feeling."  
  
"I'm assuming your name is Ren?"  
  
"No, although it's very pretty. It's a gender-neutral term for mom or dad. Eade found it somewhere a while ago and started using it. My name's Strilonde. Maiven Strilonde."  
  
"Its good to meet you Strilonde."  
  
" _Ms_. Strilonde, currently. I'll let you know when it changes."  
  
"Alright then."  
  
Eade piped up, "Ren, why are you here? I didn't even call you; I was going to today, but stuff got in the way. Did something happen?"  
  
"I got attacked."  
  
"Shit, what happened?" Dave asked.  
  
"Stupid stuff. Do you have any spare blood? I feel kinda light-headed and I forgot to get any."  
  
~

**_About a week ago..._**  
  
She was on her way home when it happened. At first, she thought they were just the usual creeps that hung around that time of night.  
  
Then she looked back. They looked casual, uninterested, a bit too uninterested to look natural. They were probably someone's lackeys, low on the class tower.  
  
She sped up, trying to get home faster. They sped up too.  
  
She broke into a run, ducking into an alleyway to try to lose them. She heard them follow her, moving just as fast. She had no clue what they wanted, but it probably wasn't good.  
  
She reached a fence in the alley, which she jumped easily. The lackeys struggled to climb over, giving her enough time to dash across the street into a different alleyway.   
  
She stopped around a corner, listening.  
Nothing.  
  
Then something hit her in the face. She reeled, backing away from the impact. The attacker was tall, holding a baseball bat.  
  
_Goddammit_.  
  
She ran out of the alley. More lackeys were waiting.  
  
_There's a gas station near here, right? Maybe they'll stop cause of the cameras._ She turned and ran. Sure enough, there was a 7 Eleven around the corner. She ducked in and hopped behind the counter. The teenaged employee didn't even blink.  
  
She waited.  
  
After 30 minutes, she relaxed. They were gone. There's no way those idiots would keep it up for this long.  
  
She left the store and walked home, using a different path than she normally did.  
  
~  
  
"Why didn't you get help?"  
  
"I needed to make sure you were alright. I knew you were going to get a new-blood soon, and I was worried about you. They might've tried to attack you too." She sighed. "And, in my worried state, I was unable to get a new-blood of my own. I didn't think it would be a good idea to put anyone new in danger. So, I'm gonna go out of commission soon, just so you know."  
  
"They've got a clinic here, c'mon, I'll take you." Eade grabbed her hand and led her out of the kitchen.  
  
~  
  
Once Oliver heard her name, it didn't take long to look her up.  
  
She was a fashion designer based in Seattle. She wasn't exactly world famous, but she was well known. She had a small house on the edge of the suburbs. She donated most of her money to charities.  
  
She wasn't a threat.  
  
He sent everything he found to Dark's computer for him to look at later.  
  
Dark had been acting... _weird_ lately. He was usually very tense, strict, and scary. He normally made everyone around him at least somewhat anxious, just from looking at them. The only exception was Wilford, who seemed to be immune to it.  
  
Then Dark was turned. It was like Eade had flipped a switch. He was calmer, more understanding, more willing to compromise on decisions. The Jims had recently knocked over a stack of plates, which all shattered on the floor, and he didn't yell at them. He just calmly asked them to clean it up and run around outside instead.  
  
It was unsettling. Oliver didn't quite know what to think. One one hand, _Hey, he's nicer now_. On the other, _This isn't normal, something's probably wrong._  
  
He would just have to wait and see.


	12. Chapter 12

Maiven was out of commission in about two hours. Eade stayed with her as she slept. Dark stayed next to them.  
  
Oliver watched the scene from the door. It seemed...cozy. They looked almost like a family.  
  
It was odd to see Dark like this. Content and calm. Balanced.  
  
"Hey, Oliver." Wilford was suddenly standing behind him.  
  
"Hey, Wilford. What do you want?"  
  
"Nothin'." He moved over to the other side of the door and watched with Oliver for a few minutes.  
  
"Have you noticed anything...off about Dark since he was turned?"  
  
"No, why?"  
  
"He seems...less uptight? In a way? Like, he's calmer, he compromises more, he's nicer. He's never been like that before."  
  
"Is that a bad thing?"  
  
"No. I just...I think I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop."  
  
"Well, hopefully, it won't. He's happy. And I think that's what matters." Wilford gestured to the scene. "I mean, look at them. They're doing the domestic family thing. It's cute and he deserves it."  
  
"Yeah, I know."  
  
~  
  
Someone was watching the building. Dark watched the van from his office, eyes narrowed. The plates didn't exist in any system. The drivers' identities were nonexistent. The van itself was chock full of shitty monitoring equipment. Green and Red set it up so it wasn't watching the actual building, but a fake one built in a video game. The idiots hadn't noticed yet.  
  
They were probably part of the same group that attacked Maiven. That meant they'd been following her.  
  
They knew where she was. They might attack at some point. They might try to hurt Maiven, or Eade, or both.  
  
Dark wasn't going to let that happen. He couldn't let them get hurt.  
  
He _couldn't_. The feeling was so strong that it hurt.  
  
Why was that? Why did it hurt?  
  
Dark didn't know. He didn't care about it that much anyway. Protecting them was more important.  
  
He didn't sleep that night. He stayed up, watching the van through his window. One of the drivers' kept poking their head out with binoculars every once in a while.  
  
Nothing much happened. They were probably plotting.  
  
Dark would have to go talk to them soon. Maybe they would back off after meeting him. People always did when he wanted them to.  
  
It was useful.  
  
~  
  
Oliver was downright anxious now. Dark's behavior had changed _again_. People were watching the building. He would look out the window every so often and glare at them.  
  
The look on his face was _worse_ than how he talked about Mark during meetings. That was normal revenge rage. The kind Dark could restrain and use to his advantage.  
  
This was barely restrained rage. The kind that might break out at any moment and smear its victims across the pavement without any care.  
  
It was terrifying. Hopefully, the van guys would leave before something happened.  
  
Over the next few days, Maiven stayed in the clinic. The migraines made doing anything difficult. Oliver volunteered to help her.  
  
She was nice.  
  
~  
  
Dark walked over to the van, suppressing his aura to look normal. Well, as normal as he could look without any color in his face. He knocked on the window. The driver jumped with a start, then rolled it down. "Hello...?"  
  
Dark leaned into the van slightly. "Hi, I've noticed that you and your friend here have been watching my building for a few days now. Could you stop doing that? And leave? And not come back? I really dont want to call the cops or do something horrible to you guys. Okay?" Dark smiled a big fake smile, the threat in his voice barely hidden.  
  
Something odd happened. The driver's eyes glazed over, then their friend's. They both nodded. "Okay, yeah, that's fair." Dark watched as they rolled up the window and left.  
  
_That was...easier than I thought it would be. Good_. He went back inside, smiling at his success.  
  
"Dark?" He turned. Wilford was standing by the elevator. "What'd you say to them?"  
  
"I just asked them to leave and they did."  
  
"Huh. Cool."


	13. Chapter 13

"That's it?" Oliver was stunned.  
  
"Yeah, they just left. Their boss might send more though. Maybe then I'll ask them where they live." Dark shrugged. "I don't know what else to tell you."  
  
"Sounds like you hypnotized them," Wilford said.  
  
"Hypnotism doesn't work like that. You can't make someone do anything they don't want to," Dr. Iplier said.  
  
"Mind control then."  
  
"Couldn't he do that before?" Bing asked.  
  
"No...I think," Oliver said.  
  
"If I did, it was so subtle that I never noticed. It definitely would've made meetings easier."  
  
"I think what you did was talk for long enough to make people so bored they'd do anything to make you stop," Ed muttered.  
  
Dark looked at Ed. "It's called making them think it was their idea. You should try it. It might help your bad marketing."  
  
~  
  
More of the bastards had shown up. They were different people than last time, but they did the exact same thing as their predecessors.  
  
"Are you gonna make them come in, like you said?" Oliver asked.  
  
"Yeah. Makes sense. Theyre not gonna stop unless we make them, so knowing something would do good."  
  
Oliver watched as Dark simply walked outside, talked to them for half a second, and walk back with them in tow.  
  
They looked...dead. Their eyes were blank; they looked completely empty, as if Dark had sucked out their souls with his words.  
  
"See? I just talked to them and they got like this."  
  
They tied the people to a couple of chairs in the meeting room. They watched them for a bit.  
  
They just stared, unblinking, at Dark. They didn't move or breathe, as if waiting for something.  
  
"They're vamps, right?" Eade asked.  
  
Oliver checked their teeth. "Yep. Probably a lackey of some kind."  
  
Wilford gently poked one in the face. "Hello? Are you in there?" It didn't react. "Well fuck you too then."  
  
Dark stepped up to the other one, waving his hand in front of their face. "Uh, hi? Are you gonna just sit there?" No response.  
  
"Try asking them something about them, like where they live!" Wilford suggested.  
  
"Yeah, uh. Where do you guys live?"  
  
"4130 34th Avenue. It's the tallest building on the road."  
  
Dark hadn't expected an answer. They talked at the same time in a monotone voice.  
  
"Woah. Creepy." Wilford said.  
  
"Who do you work for?"  
  
"You."  
  
"What? No, I meant, who hired you to watch the building?"  
  
"Brian Way."  
  
Oliver made a note of the name, still watching the prisoners.  
  
"Well. Okay then. That was easy. I'm just gonna...go get...food..."  
  
The prisoners tilted their head to the side so their necks were exposed.  
  
Dark's eyes widened. "Uhhhhh how about no? Just no, no thanks..." Dark backed out of the room and hurried off. The prisoners tried to get up to follow, but they just fell over, not making a sound.  
  
"...huh. Definitely mind control." Wilford said, leaving to follow Dark.  
  
"Well, that's concerning." Eade sat them back up, making their own attempts to wake them. Nothing worked. "What now?"  
  
"I dunno. I'm gonna go look up who Brian is."  
  
~  
  
Wilford found Dark in the kitchen. He was leaning against the counter, his aura swirling around him. "Dark? You alright?"  
  
"No." Dark grabbed a bottle of blood out of the fridge and downed it in three seconds flat.  
  
"Woah."  
  
"Sorry...I just..." He slid down to the floor, panting. "When...when they did that, I...I got really hungry for some reason. It kinda freaked me out."  
  
Wilford sat down next to him. "Did the blood help any?"  
  
"A little."  
  
"Ok." He leaned his head against Dark's shoulder. "If you need anything else, I'll get it for you, okay?"  
  
"Okay."


	14. Chapter 14

Maiven woke up a while later. Eade and Oliver caught him up on everything that had happened.  
  
"Poor Dark. He can't control it?"  
  
"Not really. They respond in weird ways sometimes, though. Like, with the neck thing." Eade did the thing to demonstrate.  
  
"Do you think they're gonna snap out of it eventually?"  
  
"I dunno. We'll just have to wait and see. Its only been a few hours though, so it might take-"  
  
Oliver was cut off by a faint, "WHAT THE _FUCK_?!!" and then a thud.  
  
"....I think they're awake now. One of them at least," Maiven said.  
  
Oliver sighed. "Yeah. You guys wait here."   
  
"Hell no." Eade dashed out the door before Oliver could protest. He ran after them.  
  
Maiven called after them, "Punch one in the face for me will ya!?"  
  
~  
  
Eade had one pressed onto the wall when he got there. The terrified lackey was still tied up in the chair though, so it wasn't really an issue.  
  
"Please! I-I'll do anything, just don't kill me!"  
  
"Nah, killing you wouldn't be fun." Eade hopped off the guy and gestured for Oliver. "Your turn!"  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"Henry, my partner's David. What'd you do to us?"  
  
"You guys kept spying on us so we kidnapped you."  
  
"That makes sense, but I don't remember the kidnapping part..."  
  
"Well, It's not important. What is important, is that you tell me anything that I need to know, okay Henry?"  
  
"Um, I don't really know a lot. David's higher up than me, so he knows more."  
  
"Do you know the guard routines of your building?"  
  
"I know my routine. Everyone's is different, and we aren't allowed to see each other's just in case something like this happens."  
  
"Now that you're gone, there's a hole in the system, right?"  
  
"No, they've probably already filled it in."  
  
"Hm. How many people work at your building?"  
  
"A lot. The people always change though, so I don't know exactly how many."  
  
Eade leaned close to Henry. "Why are you being so...upfront about all this?"  
  
"I didn't like working there. I only took the job cause it paid well. I was planning to leave next week." He looked down. "I don't even know why they wanted us to watch this place."  
  
"Because they're dicks, probably."  
  
Henry sighed. "What are you guys gonna do with me?"  
  
"Nothing, yet," Oliver said. "We'll wait till after your friend wakes to make a decision."  
  
"Ok then."  
  
~  
  
Dark stayed in his office for the rest of the day. He didn't feel quite right after the...incident, as it were.  
  
They woke up though, so that was a good thing. This new...ability wasn't permanent. That made him feel somewhat better.  
  
"What do you want to do with them?" Wilford asked.  
  
"Let them go, but tell them to send a message to their boss. Don't come back, or else."  
  
"Or else what?"  
  
"We'll get to that if need be."  
  
"Okay. I'll come up with some ideas!" Wilford left, skipping down the hall. Knowing Wilford, most of those ideas would involve glitter or murder. Hopefully, he wasn't going to try testing any of them.


	15. Chapter 15

It was months later when something happened again. Maiven had recovered, and was staying in a nearby apartment. They said that they preferred living in a quieter building. Eaden had gotten their own room in Dark's building. They didn't mind how loud it got.

Dave just went home.

The building was quiet that night. Almost everyone was asleep, having worn themselves out the previous day.

Dark, however, was still up. He was reorganizing his filing cabinets. It had gotten overly messy after the new residents appeared; he couldn't stand it anymore.

He was trying to put one of the drawers back in when he heard something tap at his window. He ignored it, assuming it was just a bird or something.

Then the window shattered inward, and something that was hissing smoke hit him in the face. He dropped the drawer, eyes burning as he bolted for the door. He barely got it open before something heavy smacked him in the back of his head. It didn't knock him out, which was both good and bad. Good because he was able to get into the hallway, and bad because now he was blinded by pain. The impact must've knocked something in his back out of alignment; he couldn't move his legs. He hadn't had issues with his spine in ages.

Something grabbed him, pulling him somewhere. He couldn't see what it was, so either he was being kidnapped, or rescued.

Considering how they weren't trying to be gentle, it was probably a kidnapping.

He tried to push them away with his aura, but everything felt heavier than it should. The smoke must've had a sedative of some kind in it. 

The last thing he felt before he blacked out was something cold wrapping around his face.

~

Eade woke with a start, jumping out of bed and into the hall. Everything felt very _wrong_. The lights in the hall were on, leading between Dark's office and the Googles' room. They hurried over, poking their head in the office.

It was a mess. Papers were strewn everywhere. The chair was overturned, one of the legs broken.

Eade went to the Googles' room. All of the Googles, except Red, and Bing were there. They were hovering around a screen with some sort of camera feed pulled up.

"What happened? Is Dark okay?"

"Someone broke in and took him," Bing said. "I don't know how, since we're ten stories up, but they've already disappeared. Red went down to see if there was anything on the ground that they left."

Eade felt the beginnings of panic start to build in their chest. Instead of letting it grow, they took a deep breath. "O-okay. Do you guys have any leads?"

"We think it might be the same guys who were spying on us last year, so we're checking the cameras around their building," Green said. "It's a long drive from here, so we should see them going in."

Red came in then, shaking his head. "There's nothing there. Have they shown up yet?"

"No. They should soon."

~

Dark woke up in a car, arms tied up and behind his back. His eyes were covered, and something was poking the back of his neck. He still couldn't feel his legs, and everything he could feel was dulled, including a massive headache. His captors were somewhere in front of him, probably the front seats, arguing about whether b positive and b negative blood tasted the same or not.

"They're different!!"

"Twangy and tangy are the same thing!"

"No they're not!!"

Dark didn't really care about it. He stayed quiet, pretending to still be asleep. After a while, the car stopped.

"Why'd we need him again?"

"Cause we're getting paid to."

" _Besides_ the illegal part of capitalism?"

"I _think_ the boss wants to study him? Not sure though."

"Cause of what happened to Steve and Brad? Why'd this take so long? That was months ago."

"The guy he wanted to get that knows about this stuff took a while to be convinced."

"Is that why we're not allowed in the basement anymore?"

"Yeah, they managed to stuff an entire lab down there."

Doors opened, then he was being dragged out. Dark stayed limp, letting the two lackey guys carry him somewhere. After a few moments-

"What did you do to him??!" A new voice yelled out. "I told you to get him unharmed; he is bleeding!!"

"I didn't think I hit him that hard."

"You _hit_ him!? I gave you the sedative gas, hitting him was unnecessary!"

"He was-"

"No! You people are unreasonable, I will not have it." Dark felt another pair of hands touching him, gently examining his face and head. "Carry him to the lab, and _do not touch anything_. Understood?"

"Yes."

~

"Who was that?" Eade asked.

Oliver shrugged. "I dunno. He's not one of the guards. He seemed mad at them for some reason."

"Is he the boss?" 

"No, the boss is a white guy, and shorter," Blue said.

"The good thing is, we _know_ Dark is there, and he wasn't kidnapped by someone we've never heard of," Green said. "Now we can work out how to get in."


End file.
